This invention relates to intravaginal catamenial tampons and more particularly, it concerns improvements in intravaginal catamenial tampons of the digitally inserted type.
Intravaginal tampons are in common use by women for the retention of fluids or menses discharged along the walls of the vagina during the menstrual cycle. Such tampons are usually formed of absorbent materials such as cotton, rayon cellulose wading, synthetic sponge, cellulose fluff, synthetic fibers or combinations of these materials and compressed or molded usually to a generally cylindrical configuration of a size to fit within the vaginal tract.
Several problems are associated with the use of intravaginal tampons for the collection and retention of menstrual fluids. For example, the peripheral interior contour of the vaginal wall, being unpredictably irregular as compared with the preformed tampon often leads to the by-pass of fluid menses through the occasional spaces encountered between the outer surface of the tampon and the inner vaginal wall. If the tampon itself is sufficiently flexible or compressible to conform with the peripheral configuration of the vaginal tract, the compressibility of the tampon itself reduces the effectiveness of the tampon to retain or store the menstrual fluids. In particular, compression of the tampon will result in the discharge of accumulated fluids both when the tampon is compressed directly such as during withdrawal or indirectly due to the increase in intravaginal pressure caused by the most common of body movements.
Because of the configuration of the vaginal tract and nature of menstrual fluid flow, conventional fibrous tampons fall short of full utilization of saturation capacity. Specifically, the menstrual fluids flow down along the walls of the vagina and tend to be collected at the frontal end of the tampon whereas the major absorptive surface exposure is along the sides of the tampon adjacent the vaginal walls. At this area however, the direction of fluid flow is perpendicular to the tampon surface and thus less than ideal for full absorption into the tampon. Finally, and perhaps because of the aforementioned difficulties, the use of tampons is commonly accompanied with undesirable irritation as a result of frequent insertion and withdrawal during periods of heavy menses flow. Also chafing may occur during periods of light menses flow because of the tendency of the tampon to absorb whatever small amount of liquids are present on the vaginal walls thereby to generate excess friction between the tampon and the vaginal walls.
The above described difficulties experienced with intravaginal catamenial tampons are substantially alleviated by the invention described in the copending application Ser. No. 587,677, filed June 17, 1975, invented by Richard P. Poncy, Mark P. Poncy, George W. Poncy, Sr., George W. Poncy, Jr. and Robert C. Brandriff, entitled "Catamenial Tampon Having Fluid Transmissive and Resilient Outer Sheath." In the tampon described this copending application, a conventional noncompressible fibrous tampon is enclosed in a compressible, open-celled or reticulated hydrophilic foam which transfers by capillary action munstrual fluids from the vaginal wall to the fibrous material which in the overall tampon of the invention is in the nature of a non-compressible core. The compressibility of the exterior foam layer allows the tampon to be easily inserted and also to maintain a constant yet gentle pressure about the interior of the vaginal walls. Moreover, because the foam is pocketed with enumerable openings or pores on the surface thereof in contact with the vaginal wall, a full transfer of fluid from the vaginal wall to the formed surface is assured. Because the inner absorbent core maintains a greater affinity for fluid than the non-absorbent vaginal walls surrounding the entire tampon, the direction of capillary action through the open-celled hydrophilic foam is toward the core. This factor is particularly significant during periods of strenuous muscular activity which would lead to the compression of the foam envelope or outer layer. In other words, the direction of capillary action is such that upon compression of the foam, the fluid is discharged to the core as distinguished from outwardly of the foam.
The tampon of the present invention is an improvement over the tampon described in the above mentioned copending application and employs the same general construction of a relatively noncompressible absorptive core enclosed in a jacket of an elastomeric foam, which is of the type designed to transmit fluids by capillary action rather than store fluids. Thus, the tampon of the present invention has the same advantages of increased effective capacity, which is substantially unaffected by compression, and of providing greater comfort to the user as the tampon described in the above mentioned copending application.
The tampon of the above described copending application is inserted in a conventional manner by means of an applicator. The tampon of the present invention differs from the tampon described above in that it is designed for digital insertion rather than by an applicator. While digitally inserted tampons are quite popular in Europe because they eliminate the need for and expense of an applicator, they have never been well received in this country apparently because the digital insertion technique required is awkward and results in the user soiling her hands. The improved tampon design of the present invention permits it to be inserted very easily and without soiling the fingers or hands of the user.
In accordance with the present invention, the bottom of the foam jacket which encloses the absorptive core extends below the absorptive core as a cylindrical skirt which is open to the absorptive core so that the user's finger may be inserted into the skirt in contact with the noncompressible core. With the user's finger inserted within the skirt against the core, the core with the foam jacket acts like an extension of the user's finger keeping alignment therewith as the inserted finger is manipulated thus greatly facilitating insertion into the vagina. Because the finger is covered by the foam skirt, the digital insertion can be easily carried out without soiling the finger of the user.
The foam skirt is provided with rings extending around and through the skirt, in which rings the foam cells are closed so as to provide a barrier from menstrual fluids being drawn down through the foam skirt. While there is no bonding of the core to the foam jacket surrounding it, a string embedded in the core can readily withdraw the core with the foam jacket because any tendency of the core to be pulled outof the jacket will cause the jacket to constrict more tightly around the core. Alternatively, the withdrawal string may be dispensed with and the foam skirt used to withdraw the tampon.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent as the following detailed description of the invention unfolds when taken in conjunction with the drawings identified below.